ON / Hamilton - Sheraton Hotel - 2008-21

[carly]

Madame X and Surge are in the house  

[carly]

Hamilton cam just came online!  Quest from Rochester has been tracked here as well in the past few days!  Will she challenge long time resident Madame X or will she continue on home to Rochester!

http://falcons.hamiltonnature.org/

[carly]

2010 NESTING SEASON

Cam will be going live shortly with Madame X and Etobicokes own Surge still in the vicinity  

GETTING READY FOR ANOTHER YEAR AT THE SHERATON!

March 3, 2010 - Happy New Year FalconFans!

While 2010 is already a couple of months old, the biological new year - Spring - is just around the corner. Madame X and Surge again spent the winter in their familiar haunts in downtown Hamilton. HCPP volunteers frequently see the pair on the Standard Life Building next door to the Sheraton nest site. Madame X is back for her tenth year and Surge for his fifth season.

As the days grow longer and the breeding season approaches, the peregrines' territorial instincts are on the rise, making them more ready to defend their turf from potential intruders. Local construction cranes and Red-tailed Hawks have already been warned. We are on the lookout for courting and nesting behaviour and expect to see eggs in late March or early April. The falcon camera will be activated in the next few weeks, once we get telephone lines and computer communications set up.

In 2009 Madame X and Surge hatched four chicks, Dixon (m), Durand (f), Gleig (f) and Strathcona (f). Although there were two rescues during the fledging period, all four chicks fledged successfully. You can read more about their exploits in the History section.

Madame X was hatched on a bridge on Pennsylvania Route 309, the Cross-Valley Expressway in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Banded as a hatchling on 7 June 1999, she was known to the falcon watchers in Northeast PA as 'Runaround Sue', a name suggested after she was found running along the expressway guide wall one morning. We are keeping the folks in Pennsylvania posted on Madame X's progress.

Hatched and banded in Etobicoke in 2002, Surge spent at least part of the 2004-2005 seasons trying to establish a nest at the Burlington Lift Bridge. In 2006 he replaced the male at the Sheraton nest and has been in Hamilton since.

Many birds exhibit a trait called 'site fidelity'. If at least one of a pair that used a nest site in the previous year return, and if there have been no significant physical changes to disturb either the nest itself or the birds generally, they will use the same nest site over and over again, year after year. Peregrine Falcons are known for site fidelity. This will be Madame X's ninth year in Hamilton and Surge's fourth, and the sixteenth year the same nest site on the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel has been used.

Falconwatch volunteers have started raising funds for the 2010 season. While Falconwatch does not cost tons of money, there are expenses to be covered. If you would like to help Falconwatch 2010 by making a tax deductible donation, please click on the 'Make a Donation' link above. Thank you.

To read FalconWatch Reports from previous years, click on the History button above.

Thank you to all our visitors and supporters for your ongoing encouragement

[The Peregrine Chick]

Sure looks like number 4 at the far end to me! (based on relative size not colour)

Thank you for confirming that, TPC! I thought they were all juvies, but it's harder to tell with the distant ones when they are soaking wet. According to the site only three had been seen. It's great to see all four!

I could certainly be wrong, but sure does look like a fourth juvie - in my experience, the adults know enough to get out and stay out of the rain, I rarely see them wet unless they are on eggs/chicks ...

[Alison]

Sure looks like number 4 at the far end to me! (based on relative size not colour)

Thank you for confirming that, TPC! I thought they were all juvies, but it's harder to tell with the distant ones when they are soaking wet. According to the site only three had been seen. It's great to see all four!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Sure looks like number 4 at the far end to me! (based on relative size not colour)

[Alison]

Four at the nest ledge today. At least three are juvies - can't quite tell about the fourth:

 

[allikat]

awww...they can't even go play in the puddles! 

[carly]

Two soaking wet juvies standing on the ledge in the pouring rain 

Make that three..can see one on the further ledge as well.

[Alison]

One on the ledge this evening, probably going to spend the night. Perhaps Gleig?

 

[bev.]

I figured that must be what happened Carly, after that citizens report.
Glad it was O.K. I always check all the news befroe I go to bed

[carly]

Yes one did fledge.  If you look to the right of the cam, they have daily updates and they do update them every day.  She fledged to a lower ledge.  She took a few flights yesterday but couldn't gain altitude and came to ground and was put back on the roof.

Their females are quite heavy so not unexpected they are going to have some challenges.  They have an outstanding fledge watch here though.  The entire birding community comes out to support the family from what I've heard.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Could just be one of the little darlings fledged .... 

[Alison]

there were 4 on the ledge a bit ago so I wonder if they had to do a rescue

Good question, Bev! When I was watching earlier, I only saw three on the ledge or in the nest area at any time:

 

 

[bev.]

there were 4 on the ledge a bit ago so I wonder if they had to do a rescue

this is from their site yesterday

June 15, 2009: Part 2 - Falconwatch Coordinator Sandra Davey reports: By late afternoon we were able to get a good view of the chick that flew to the Thompson building and by reading her band identified her as Strathcona. (The image at left shows her on the upper ledge, facing Surge, seconds before she flew.) Strathcona spent the entire day on the upper roof of the Thompson building, exploring the roof top and ledges. She seemed quite content to stay there until this evening. Around 8PM, while walking along the edge of the upper roof, she lost her footing and slipped down to the lower roof. She landed there safely and proceeded to spend quite a while pacing back and forth along the west side of the lower roof. She kept looking around and seemed to be trying to decide where to go and whether she could make it back to the nest ledge. She was probably quite hungry by this point as she had not been fed since 7:40AM. Madame X and Surge flew close by several times today and also chased off some gulls that were bothering her, but neither adult delivered food to Strathcona. Around 8:45PM Strathcona decided to spend the night on the south west corner of the Thompson building and settled down. Stay tuned to see where she decides to go tomorrow.

The three chicks on the ledge continued their flapping exercises but seem happy to stay at home for now. Those left on the ledge are fairly easy to tell apart. Dixon is the smallest and he has pale coloured feet. Gleig also has pale feet, however she is a very large, very dark bird. Durand has yellow feet. [/i